The Contender
by Icy Knuckles
Summary: Knuckles the Echidna is a martial artist. We know that, but we've never seen him actually use any of his martial arts abilities. This story is basically a one-shot of one of Knuckles' matches as a mixed martial arts fighter. Rated T for the violence.


_I was chilling with some of my friends when we started playing UFC 2010 Undisputed. I was kicking ass, of course. LOL! But then, I started to think that Knuckles the Echidna should've been on this game. Then, I started thinking that we know nothing of where Knuckles the Echidna got his martial arts skills from. That's when I really got to thinking. It might be interesting to write a quickie about Knuckles' past and make him a mixed martial arts fighter. He's only 14 in this story instead of 16. So this is when Knuckles was cool and had his composure before they decided to play Knuckles for the fool in games. I hope you like it. _Knuckles the Echidna has had to fend for himself his whole life. As a younger kid, he wandered the jungles of the Mystic Ruins and lived off the land. The harsh conditions of living without a shelter helped to toughen him up into a firm, hardened fighter. These skills were very much needed when he found himself living in the cities a few years later. Living on the streets of Central City, he has always had to fight just to survive. It's because of these hardships and experiences that he is where he is today, however.

* * *

Knuckles was alone in the locker room, getting ready for tonight's event. Tonight wasn't a huge fight. Only a prize fight. Knuckles didn't mind, though. Besides, the rent wasn't going to pay itself. He was down to his last few hundred rings, and if he didn't get more rings soon, he could find himself without a home.

Knuckles carefully taped up his hands. He had to tape up his hands because his hands contained those huge bony knuckles. In order to be admitted to a fight, Knuckles must file his bony knuckles down so that they don't stick out so much and then put tape over them so they don't cause any serious injury to anyone during a fight.. Because he had no manager or trainer, he had to do everything himself. It wasn't a hard thing to do. It just took time because if you weren't accurate, your tape could have holes in it, which could cause it to fall off during the fight, which would be just awful. He applied the tape precisely, making sure to plug up any areas that could possibly have a hole. The tape wasn't a hundred percent accurate but it would hold without a doubt. Then, he put on his trademark fighting gloves. Afterwards, Knuckles went over to the water fountain that was located in the locker room and drenched his head with cold, refreshing water. He did this before all his fights. The cold water soothed and relaxed the nerves in his head so they would be less subjective to blows during the match. The less he felt, the better. As he was soaking his head, there was a loud knock at his door. He stood up, shook his short dreads dry, and answered the door. (A/N: at this moment, Knuckles' dreads are slightly yet significantly shorter). A black panther was waiting on the other side of the door. He worked with the people who set the fight up.

"You have two minutes until we're ready for you," said the panther. "Make your final preparations and meet me at the gate."

Knuckles nodded his approval and sent him away. Knuckles went over to the mirror and looked at himself. What he saw was a replica of a young man who was trying to make it the best way he could. Confidence reigned over his body. He felt determined to contend and win this fight tonight. Nothing was going to stop him. He placed his mouthpiece in and was off.

After he was done in the locker room, he walked out and down the corridor to his gate, where the panther was waiting. Knuckles listened to the crowd on the other side of the gated door. It sounded like quite the turnout. This fight should be a good way to get his name known around the town. He did his best to get riled up to the loud rap music that was playing over the speakers. It was Yo Gotti's 'That's What's Up' that was playing.

"Good luck out there tonight, kid," said the panther.

"Thanks," said Knuckles.

Before long, the music died down as the announcer came on over the loudspeakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, tonight's match is scheduled for three five minute rounds of mixed martial arts fighting. Fighters are declared the winner either by knockout, submission, or by score from the judges if no winner is declared at the end of the final round. With that being said, LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

The crowd went wild in response. They were ready for some action and blood. All of the sudden, it went dark in the arena and music started to play. It was 'Encore' by Jay-Z.

"Entering in the black and gold shorts at 3'11 weighing in at 125lbs from Angel Island, we have Knuckles the 'Hitman' Echidna!" The panther opened the gate, and Knuckles stepped through. A loud burst of applause could be heard as Knuckles entered into the arena. Knuckles went on rallying the crowd behind him by doing a series of taunts and reaching for the sky. The crowd responded with applause. A male tomcat was waiting at the ring and opened up the cage. Knuckles walked up the stairs into the cage, where it was closed and locked behind him. There was no turning back now. Knuckles took his place in the red corner.

The arena suddenly went dark again and more rap music began to play as even louder applause and screams than before could be heard. It was now 'Pure Cocaine' by Yo Gotti. Knuckles looked across at the other gate.

"Entering in the red and white shorts at 4 feet even weighing in at 135 lbs from Eastopolis, we have 'Sugar' Ray the Hedgehog. A white hedgehog in red and white shorts came charging through the gate with his manager and trainer in tow. He had a black towel around his neck with his initials on it, S-H. He was one of the biggest fighters in the Light Heavyweight Anthromorphic class and nearly undefeated. He had Shadow-styled spines and a scar over his right eye. He looked like he was about 18 (in hedgehog years). The gate was opened for Sugar Ray and he took his spot in the blue corner across from Knuckles. He and Knuckles cross examined each other, making sure to never show any sign of fear or smile. If fighters saw any weakness with emotions, they preyed upon it like sharks in a blood bath.

"You're going down, chump. I think you're sweet and soft. A little weakling like you don't stand no chance here in a man's world. Go play tennis or something. You don't belong here," said Sugar Ray with a smirk.

Knuckles smirked back. "First of all, with a name like Sugar, how can you call anybody sweet? I'm about to beat down on your ass. After the fight, take your towel and finish sewing the I and the T on it and stop hiding what you are."

The crowd was in awe at the disrespect the fighters had for each other. It fueled up their cheers and jeers even more. The referee stepped to the center of the ring and signaled for the fighters to do the same. The referee was a middle aged, brown fox named Mario. Unlike Tails, he only had one tail. Knuckles and Sugar Ray both stepped to the center of the ring, where they shook hands as a sign of sportsmanship and respect. Then, they retreated to their respective corners.

"Fighters are you ready?" He looked at Sugar Ray. Sugar Ray nodded. He looked at Knuckles. "Are you ready?" Knuckles nodded as well. The ref waved his hand, the bell had rung and the fight was underway.

Sugar Ray went on the offensive. He came at Knuckles, who was steadily backing away. Knuckles was sizing up Sugar Ray but he didn't have much time as Sugar Ray threw the first punch. It only missed by an inch. Thankfully, Knuckles was quick. Knuckles came with a counter, but that missed as well. Sugar Ray came back with a kick, but Knuckles caught his leg with one hand and punched Sugar Ray in the face with the other hand. Sugar Ray stumbled. Knuckles had the first attack. Whilst Sugar Ray was stumbling, Knuckles thought it best to attempt a takedown move, but Sugar Ray had already recovered and he broke out of it by bringing Knuckles to his knees and backing up. Knuckles rose back to his feet quickly. Sugar Ray came up again with another series of quick jabs, but Knuckles had his guard up. Knuckles tried to counter with a punch and ended up taking one to the face. Sugar Ray had finally struck back. Sugar Ray also landed an additional kick to Knuckles' body. Knuckles backed away before any further damage could get to him. Sugar Ray's punch had left a small bruise on the side of Knuckles' head. Sugar Ray was charging again. This time, Knuckles saw it coming. Sugar Ray was coming with a right; so Knuckles ducked the punch and countered with a left hand jab to the jaw. Sugar Ray's head jumped as he leapt forward and clinched Knuckles. They were now involved in a serious grapple.

Knuckles took advantage of the grab and gave Sugar Ray a few kicks to the body before Sugar Ray could adjust his body so that Knuckles could not get any good hits. The battle in the clinch had officially begun. Knuckles and Sugar Ray were holding onto each other. Sugar Ray gave Knuckles a few slaps to the back of the head while Knuckles was still trying to get kicks to no avail. They went around for a minute with a mixed assortment of attacks from both parties. In the end, it seemed like Sugar Ray was getting the best of Knuckles. He delivered a good knee to Knuckles' body, which knocked the wind out of Knuckles. Sugar Ray capitalized on this by picking up Knuckles and slamming him onto the ground and falling on top of him. Knuckles was in trouble now. With Sugar Ray on top of him, he was at a disadvantage. He tried and tried to get Sugar Ray off of him to no avail. He tried wiggling loose but Sugar Ray pulled him back every time. He tried overpowering Sugar Ray and getting up but that didn't work either. Sugar Ray started pounding away at Knuckles. Knuckles had to put up his block and defend the best he could. Sugar Ray connected a few cheap hits but nothing serious except Knuckles had started bleeding.

"Give it up, punk," said Sugar Ray.

He tried to go for a choke hold early to get a submission win. He threw his arm over Knuckles' throat and began pressing. Knuckles swung his arms furiously until he was finally free. He barely got out of the choke hold. He tried getting up but Sugar Ray was there to bring him down again. Sugar Ray continued trying to beat the tar out of Knuckles. He was switching positions while trying to find the best one to restrain Knuckles from moving. Knuckles was not conceding to the grapple at all. He tried punching Knuckles one in the face when he was on top of Knuckles, but Knuckles delivered a nice counter right into his eye, which made him hold it. This allowed Knuckles to get free. Knuckles pushed Sugar Ray off him and stood to his feet. That last punch left Sugar Ray slightly dazed. He got up a lot slower than Knuckles. Knuckles capitalized by giving Sugar Ray two alternating hooks to the face as he rose. That cut Sugar Ray wide open with a cut to the center of his head. Sugar Ray backed up to catch his composure. Knuckles' nice combination had brought him back into the fight. Sugar Ray had started throwing weak punches in the air as he backed away from Knuckles. Knuckles had him on the run. Knuckles eased over to Sugar Ray where he threw a couple of weak punches which Sugar Ray easily blocked. He then threw a hard punch that didn't connect either. Sugar Ray countered with two quick punches to the face. Knuckles blocked his face, expecting another punch only to be met with a kick to the side of the head. It made Knuckles stumble a few feet. Sugar Ray ran for a takedown move this time. Knuckles was withstanding it. While he couldn't break it up yet, Sugar Ray wasn't getting to him either. He only caused Knuckles to back track. He did, however, back track enough so that Sugar Ray had \him up against the cage. Once on the cage, Sugar Ray started pummeling Knuckles' midsection. Knuckles retaliated by using his fists to pound Sugar Ray on the back. The back hits were so loud and hard that they sounded off throughout the building. After a few of those back hits, Sugar Ray started giving way and his grip loosened as Knuckles almost brought him to his knees. He backed up real fast and gave Knuckles his room. Knuckles got off the cage wall and returned to center ring.

"Don't run now," said Knuckles.

Sugar Ray's back was aching in pain. Knuckles had beaten it like a drum. Some of the tissue on his back felt tenderized because of the beating it took. Knuckles came up and gave him a punch and a quick elbow to his face. Alas, Knuckles left his body open, but Sugar Ray took a different approach. He tackled Knuckles to the ground again and began furiously throwing blows. A couple connected but most of them were blocked due to Knuckles' great defense. Knuckles pulled him close to prevent him from having enough room to strike him furiously. As Sugar Ray tried to get free, Knuckles grabbed Sugar Ray's arm and put him in a lock in order to attempt a submission. Knuckles pulled hard, but Sugar Ray squirmed until he was free. Neither fighter was giving any headway to his opponent.

Suddenly, Knuckles was caught off guard with a haymaker to the face, which busted his eye wide open. It put him in a daze as well. Knuckles grabbed Sugar Ray as a last ditch effort so Sugar Ray could no longer strike him. Sugar Ray tried to shake him but he wouldn't give in. He soon snaps out of it just as the first round ends. The bells sounds and both fighters retreat to their respective corners. Sugar Ray goes over to his team while Knuckles walks back over to his lonely corner. Sugar Ray's manager gives him a swig of water and his trainer puts an ice pack over his face. Since Knuckles did not have a manager or trainer, he couldn't bring any applications for wounds, and fighters weren't allowed to leave the cage or bring those things in with them. So he just closed his eyes and began to gather himself.

"Get it together, Knuckles. This guy is weak. I'm letting myself slip," said Knuckles to himself silently. His eye wasn't critical but it was still bleeding. That punch did numbers on his overall status. He's still a little shook up from it and it was starting to take its toll on his body. Without treatment, his eye will just continue to worsen. If he does not end this fight fast, it's over for him. "I just gotta fight past this. I can beat this guy."

Before long, the bell sounded and the fighters returned to the action. The referee waved his hand and the second round was underway.

Sugar Ray came toward Knuckles fast. Knuckles prepared his defense. Sugar Ray started with a few quick jabs, which Knuckles easily dodged. Next, he tried a few quick kicks, which Knuckles easily dodged as well. Knuckles did not seem to be trying to fight back. Sugar Ray immediately smirked. It seems like Knuckles was on the ropes. He continued trying to break through Knuckles defense. Knuckles lowered his guard after a quick stumble. Sugar Ray decided to capitalize and came with a big haymaker. Knuckles, however, anticipated this move and countered with a left hook followed by two quick jabs. Sugar Ray covered his face, but Knuckles wasn't aiming for the face with his next attack. He delivered a kick to the side of Sugar Ray's head, which caused him to fall back and fall down. Knuckles jumped down onto Sugar Ray quickly, not allowing any time for him to recover. He went for the quick win by placing Sugar Ray in a lumbar submissive move. Sugar Ray screamed in pain as he felt Knuckles trying to tear his arm off. Sugar Ray wasn't going down easily though. He used his legs for extra power and managed to pull Knuckles into the reach of his other arm, which he used for a few punches to Knuckles' face, which made him let go. Sugar Ray managed to get back to his feet, but he was met by three quick jabs to his nose, which busted it open.

"You're getting on my nerves," said Sugar Ray.

Sugar Ray tried to kick Knuckles, but Knuckles caught his leg and punched him square in the forehead. Knuckles threw another punch, but Sugar Ray dodged it and went for a grapple. Sugar Ray quickly got control of the grapple and delivered a couple of quick jabs to Knuckles' jaw. Knuckles tried to turn the grapple around and gripped Sugar Ray around his waist. He was trying to go for a slam. Sugar Ray wasn't going for a slam, however. He fought it off with a few knees to Knuckles' body. Sugar Ray started to regain control of the grapple. He started taking Knuckles back in steps with an assortment of knees and pushes. He threw his weight around in one final push and managed to press Knuckles against the cage. Sugar Ray then started to knee and kick Knuckles hard in the gut. Because Knuckles was against a cage and still grappled with Sugar Ray, he was powerless to prevent the blows. There was only one chance now. Knuckles started trying to turn the grapple around and put Sugar Ray on the cage. Sugar Ray used his knees to try and prevent it but Knuckles was determined to not be stopped. He maneuvered his body around and placed Sugar Ray on the cage. He then wiggled free of the grapple and gave Sugar Ray three blows to the body before Sugar Ray was able to get off the cage. Knuckles was on a roll, though. He was throwing so many punches now that Sugar Ray couldn't make a move. He just barely managed to get his block up. He started backing up with Knuckles pounding away at his forearms. Knuckles seemed to have the edge. Suddenly, Sugar Ray ducked a punch and came back with a straight jab to the jaw of Knuckles followed by two elbows to the head. Knuckles blocked the fourth hit and returned with a kick to Sugar Ray's body.

Sugar Ray quickly went for a take down. He grabbed Knuckles by the legs. Knuckles backed up and tried to get out of his reach. He finally succeeded when he brought Sugar Ray to his knees. Knuckles threw a quick punch, which Sugar Ray countered by going into a grapple. He and Knuckles again were both going for the slam. Knuckles tried to soften up Sugar Ray by delivering some small punches to his face whilst they were clinched.

"Oh, I got you now. You're done for," said Knuckles.

Knuckles had the inside of the grapple. He placed his footing and gave Sugar Ray a nasty suplex slam. Knuckles got him down to the ground and began working him out. Knuckles turned in a manner such that Sugar Ray's body and his were intersecting. Knuckles gave Sugar Ray some quick punches to the face as he tried to get up. He was almost up at one point but Knuckles pushed him back to the ground. Sugar Ray suddenly gained momentum. He grabbed Knuckles' head with his legs and began a submissive headlock attack. Knuckles was able to break free, however, very quickly. Knuckles then arranged himself so that his body was facing opposite of Sugar Ray's. He then went to work on Sugar Ray's ribs. Sugar Ray recovered by using the awkward positioning to escape the ground. Before he could get up, however, Knuckles caught him from behind and had him in a choke hold. He picked Knuckles up as a showing of his strength and backed Knuckles into the cage. He didn't let go; so Sugar Ray started jabbing Knuckles with his elbows. He softened up Knuckles enough so he let him go just in time because he was almost about to submit. When he let Sugar Ray go, Sugar Ray dropped to the ground and gasped for air.

"That's it. We're ending this right here right now. You won't make it to the third round," said Sugar Ray through gasps.

Sugar Ray rose to his feet. He was now feeling very battered himself. He even stumbled a little as he rose to his feet. He eyed Knuckles, who was breathing hard as well. Knuckles was still in his fighter stance, however. He was ready. Sugar Ray didn't waste any more time. He eased over to Knuckles and attacked. Knuckles attacked back. They exchanged a barrage of punches and kicks with neither one of them really gaining an edge. Knuckles gave Sugar Ray two haymakers to his jaw and Sugar Ray countered with two left hooks to the side of Knuckles' head. Suddenly, Knuckles caught Sugar Ray with an uppercut. It was a critical hit that dazed Sugar Ray. Sugar Ray's vision was getting blurry. He backed up as he tried to regain his senses. His mind was in a daze. Knuckles punched him as hard as he could in the stomach. Sugar Ray keeled over and went down. Knuckles straddled him and began to punch him repeatedly in the head. Sugar Ray put his block up but not before eating a few of Knuckles' punches. One second before the referee could get over and pull Knuckles off of Sugar Ray and declare him the winner, the bell rung to signal the end of round 2. The crowd cheered loudly as Knuckles retreated to his corner, beating his chest with his right hand, symbolizing that he had heart. Sugar Ray slowly got up off the ground and went to his corner. Knuckles' uppercut had caused his mouth to start bleeding. In fact, it made him bite through his mouthpiece. He was in bad shape. He didn't want to admit it but Knuckles had worked him out that round real good.

"Let me put some ice on that swelling," said Sugar Ray's trainer. He put an icepack on Sugar Ray and gave him a couple swigs of water.

"It's alright, Sugar. The third round has always been your round. You got this fight, baby. Just keep your guard up and attack at the right time. Get in there and show him who's boss. This guy doesn't have what it takes to defeat you," said his manager.

Sugar Ray nodded in understanding.

Knuckles was in his corner patting himself on the back. "Good round. Let's finish strong." He coached himself mentally

The bell to signal the start of the third round had just rung. The two fighters returned to their respective corners. The referee waved his hand and signaled the start of the last round. Knuckles and Sugar Ray approached each other slowly. Both were looking at each other carefully. Any sudden move could win or lose the match. Sugar Ray threw a couple of light punches that only hit air. He was trying to get Knuckles to flinch but it did not work. Knuckles did the same back to him. No punches were landed by either fighter. Suddenly, Sugar Ray moved in for the kill. He tried to catch Knuckles slipping by countering one of his soft, slow punches with some hard, fast ones. Knuckles ducked the punch and met Sugar Ray with another uppercut. Then, he punched Sugar Ray twice in the gut, which made him lower his guard to his body. Then, he added to his combination with three fast jabs to the face followed by a haymaker. The haymaker connected to his jaw. He knocked out Sugar Ray's mouthpiece and sent him flying to the left, where he fell unconscious.

The referee gestured to signal the knockout.

"It's all over! Here's your winner, Knuckles the Echidna!" screamed the announcer over the loudspeakers.

Knuckles raised his arms in celebration as his theme music came on over the speakers. He was sore as hell but it didn't matter at this point. He had just won the fight. The crowd was going crazy after Knuckles' spectacular match. He could hear his name being cheered in the stands. It brought a smile to his face.

The crowd cheered even louder as Knuckles exited the cage and the arena. Knuckles was heading back to his locker room, where he could take a good shower so he could get out of here. He was battered and dog tired. The panther was waiting when he stepped into the corridor.

"Great match, kid," said the panther. "Maybe one day, you'll be one of the greats."

"Maybe so," said Knuckles.

"Excuse me, Knuckles," said a voice from behind.

Knuckles turned around and saw a middle-aged red wolf standing behind him. He was in surprisingly good shape considering his age but you really couldn't see it behind his all white suit and hat.

"Can I help you?" asked Knuckles.

"No, my friend, but I do believe I can help you. My name is Royale the Wolf.

"I know you. Aren't you the CEO of the Anthromorphic Mixed Martial Arts league?" he asked.

"Indeed I am, and I want you in the league. I was impressed by your fight tonight. We could use talent like that in the league. I could set you up with a manager and a trainer so you'll be well taken care of. I can probably pay a lot better than these cheap prize fights, too. What do you say?"

A big smile went over Knuckles' face. His future was bright.

* * *

_Well, there it is. LOL! I hope you really liked it. Let me know with a review, please. Along with the review, I'd like you to answer one question. Would you like a whole story about this? Maybe I should do a series of one-shots? Or is this just perfection and I should just leave well enough alone and finish a story for a change? LOL!_


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